IN THE SHADOW OF OBLIVION

Chapter 6: Not so friendly fight

"It's funny, really. Michelle's not the adventurous type, you know? So she comes in one day talking about how she's going to go another island, crossing multiple seas to find this girl and I have to come with her and..." Anntonia sighed, exasperated. She'd been trying to explain the situation to Irfan over dinner, but she was worried the guy didn't exactly understand. And the fact that he might get bored because all she could tell him was about Michelle and things they do together which doesn't make sense because what's Irfan gonna do about those information?

"I know Michelle's your best friend and all, Ann, but do you really think it's necessary for you to go  with her just so she can maybe get a date?" She saw the guy shook his head and stopped to take a sip of his beer. "I don't think it makes that much sense."

"I know. But I promised her I'd go with her. God knows she'd never be able to make it out there on her own. She's obviously having a quarter life crisis, I swear to God!"

She heard Irfan laughed softly and looked down at his plate. She noticed the guy jabbed at his steak with his fork, a little annoyed expression in his features and sighed but she didn't took it to heart.

"Can I be perfectly honest with you, Ann?" He asked, fidgeting with his table napkin in hand to wipe his lips.

"Yeah, I mean, that's what I'm hoping for, here," she said with an encouraging nod. "I want to know what you really think."

"Look, it's not that I don't trust you," he said, running his fingers through his hair, "but I mean, we don't know each other really really well yet and I'm just worried, I guess."

Anntonia stopped cutting her own steak and put down her utensils at that, straightening herself as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, trying to give her full attention to the guy.

"Worried? About what?" She asked, a little confused to what he meant.

Irfan was silent for a minute, pulling at a loose string on his cloth napkin. She watch him took a deep breath and looked at her with an obvious worried expression.

"I'm worried about Michelle. When you said she's bisexual, the type that mostly fall for women, I couldn't help it but that what's your real relationship with her."

She looked down at her steak and sighed. Her boyfriends and girlfriends always had a problem with her best friend, and it took everything in her power not to roll her eyes. She was prepared for this and started on the same spiel she always throw out when the issue came up.

"Look, you have to understand that Michelle and I are best friends since I could remember. We're almost like sisters. We heard a lot that we have amazing chemistry. She's not all that hideous and we know each other like the backs of our hands. But, you also have to remember that we've been together all our lives and still, nothing has ever happened between us. Don't you think that's a pretty good track record? I mean, if I'd wanted to, I would've done something with her a long time ago, and vice versa."

That statement made her gulped harder afterwards. She knew exactly deep inside that, that last part wasn't exactly true. If she could have, she would have ravished Michelle months ago and never looked back.

"I know, I'm sorry. I know I'm being stupid right now. I just..." He stopped and looked at her straight in the eyes and she did her best not to give away herself and her lie. "I've never felt this way about anyone else before," Irfan continued, his voice almost a whisper but was laced with seriousness and sincerity. "You do things to me I don't really understand Anntonia, and I'm scared and worried and... I mean, we've only been on four dates and it's crazy, the way I feel. I don't want to leave myself open to heartbreak."

Anntonia shook her head, giving a reassuring smile at the guy as she put a hand above his.

"I feel the same way about you Irfan, you know," she said, her breath catching in her throat. Yes, she did feel the same way about him, that much was true. She just didn't mention she also felt the same way about Michelle, in a more intense and, actually, now that she thought about it, totally different way. Too bad things with the woman weren't going to work out. She'd come to terms with that quite some time ago. "I don't want to mess things up between us, and if this road trip will do that, then please tell me now. I won't go." She looked down at their hands. She knew Irfan was as close to perfection as she was going to get, and she wasn't trying to ruin things before they even started.